Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Ye Xien Tales |Oldest Cinderella Story

Ye Xien is oldest Cinderella story from the Tang Dynasty, about 700 AD. The story appeared in Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang.
In this version, Ye Xien's father, Wu, had two wives, but one of them died, and that was Ye Xien's mother. Ye Xien was raised by Wu's other wife, her stepmother. Ye Xien's stepmother didn't like Ye Xien, because Ye Xien was prettier and kinder than her own daughter, so the stepmother treated Ye Xien badly. Ye Xien had to do all the hardest work while her sister just left their time with their old guzheng. Now she just friend with a fish, a beautiful fish with big gold eyes.

Even thought she was hungry, Ye Xien always shared her food with her friend, a fish. Saw it, the stepmother was not happy. When Ye Xien go to the river to wash clothes, stepmother catch the gold fish and cook it for Ye Xien's dinner. Ye Xien started crying to see her friend was killed. When he would bury his friend in the
garden, an old man appeared and told her to save the fish's bones and ask them for help when she was in
trouble.

Days passed, spring festival is come , Ye Xien wanted to go to the Spring Festival, where everyone met to find husbands and wives, but her stepmother wouldn't let her go.Ye Xien remember about fish bone that her kept, so she make a wish for clothes to wear to the festival. Right away she found herself wearing beautiful clothes: a cape made of feathers, and gold slippers. The bones made her promise not to lose the slippers.

Ye Xien went to the spring festival, but when she saw her stepmother and her sister over there, she scared and run into home, she lost one of her slipper when she running. The man who found her slipper sold it to a merchant, who gave the beautiful slipper to the king. The king wanted to find who owned the slipper, so he put it in a little pavilion by the side of the road where any woman could come try it on.

All of them came, but their feet were too Big for the tiny shoe. One night Yeh-Xien came and tried to take her slipper back, but the king's servants arrested her and took her to the king. Ye Xien feet is match with the tiny slipper, she said that she has the other shoe in her house. They all went to her house and got the other slipper, and when she put both slippers on, her fine clothes appeared again and the king realized he wanted to marry her.

Ye Xien lived happily ever after as a queen in gorgeous palace and she was very grateful to his friend, a beautiful fish with big gold eyes.

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